Railway-velocipede



(No Model.)

G. W. MILLER. RAILWAY VELOGIPEDB.

No. 473.586. Patented Apr. '26, 1892.

Inusntor- UNITED STATES PATENT Fries...

GEORGE VF. MILLER, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY-VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,586, dated April26, 1892.

Application filed January 6, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kalamazoo, county of Kalamazoo, State of Michigan, haveinvented a new and useful Railway- Velocipede, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to that class of rail- Way-velocipedes orhand-cars which employa truss-frame, two main wheels on one rail, and ahinged guide wheel extending laterally therefrom running on the otherrail.

This invention has for its object certain below described and claimedimprovements in the manner of making the frame and also in theconstruction and adjustability of the guide-wheel arm.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sideelevation; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3, details from Fig. 2, lookingfrom a point at the right, parts being in section on line 3 3 in saidfigure; and Fig. 4, an enlarged section on line 4 4 in Fig. 2, lookingfrom a point at the left.

Referring to the lettered parts of the drawings,A A represent parallelbase-bars, in which the main wheels, which run on one rail of the track,have hearings in the ordinary manner. At each end of the frame andseparated from each other are two upwardly-extendin g yokes E and Da,either lower end of which is attached to the base-bars A of the frame.These yokes usually support the seats. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig.1.) Still the seats and theirsupport per se form no part of thisinvention. While the yokes Do, as here shown, strictly speaking, consistof posts D D and the crossbars a, for the purpose of this invention theymight be yokes made of continuous strips of metal, like the yokes E,with the truss-rods attached to the upper corners of said yokes.Projecting upward from the longitudinal center of the base-rods A aretwo posts 0. At each end of the frame and attached at either sidethereof are tubular sockets a.

At B are shown truss-rods extending from the top of one yoke Bar to theother on each side of the frame and centrally intercepting the top ofthe posts 0, the upper end of which posts are attached to said rods. Theends of these rods B B beyond the yokes D D extend obliquely downwardthrough the sockets z and Serial No. 417,216. (No model.)

are provided at the lower end with tensionnuts. When the parts Da, B, G,andA are put together, the nuts are thoroughly tightened on the ends ofthe rods B, which extend through the sockets e, which action tends tocause the rods B to bear down upon the yokes Da, Da, to lift up on theposts 0 O, and to lift up on each end of the frame beyond the yokes DoDa, which action, of course, thoroughly trusses the frame. Such aconstruction of the frame is very desirable, considering its cheapness,lightness, and the increase of burden which it will sustain.

At a point in the rear of the front end of the railway-velocipede is anarm F, said arm being hinged by a pivot e to a bracket G, which bracketis firmly secured to the bars A B on one side of the velocipede-frame,said arm F extending laterally therefrom and bearing the guide-wheelreferred to, which in use runs on the other rail, said rail not beinghere shown. The rear end of the frame at one side is provided with aseries of holes 1', with which holes the rear end of a brace-bar his adjustably attached, the forward end of said bar being linkconnected withthe guide-wheel arm near its outer end. The advantage of thisconstruction is, first, to throw the guide-wheel slightly forward orrearward, in accordance with the direction in which the velocipedetravels, so that the guide-wheel will not cramp against the rail uponwhich itruns,and, as suggested, this is accomplished by detachablyconnecting the rear end of the brace-bar h with whichever one of theholes 2' it is desirable to accomplish the desired effect. A furtheradvantage is that by detaching the rear end of the bracebar h theguide-wheel arm F may be swung around to the rearward parallel with therailway velocipede frame and the brace bar thrown forward parallel withsaid frame and resting it upon the bracket G, as indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 2, thus adjusting the velocipede for conveniently handlingor shipping.

To the base of the rear end of the frame, at one side, is attached ahook-support 0, upon which the end of the guide-wheel arm Frests whenthrown around parallel with the railwayvelocipede. This arm being thussupported by the support- 0 and the brace-bar it being supported by thebracket G or some equivalent at the forward end of the car, the rear endcan be readily raised up and run on its forward main Wheel, like awheelbarrow, either into the shipping-car 0r storehouse.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In ahand-car or velocipede, the combination of the base-bars of theframe, the central posts, one on each side, extending upward from saidbase-bars, the inverted-U-shaped yokes', one each way from the centralposts, attached to and extending upward from the base-bars, sockets eachway from said in- Verted-U-shaped yokes attached to the sides of thebase-bars, the truss-rods extending from the top of one of the inverted-U -shaped yokes to the other and attached thereto andintercepting the upper ends of the central posts, to which they are alsoattached, the ends of said truss rods extending downward from the yokesand through the sockets, and tensionnuts on the ends of the truss-rods,substantially as set forth.

2. In a velocipede or hand-car, the combination of the main frame, thebracket attached to said frame at one side near the forward end, theguide-wheel arln hinged to said bracket, the plate provided with aseries of adj ustingholes and attached to one side of the frame near therear end, the oblique brace-bar jointedly connected at one end to theguide-wheel arm and adapted to be detachably inserted in one of the adjusting-holes of the plate at the rear end, and the hook-rest attached tothe rear end of the frame at the side, substantially as set forth.

In testimony to the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name in thepresence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. MILLER.

\Vitnesses:

H. G. HAINES, A. J. SHAKESPEARE, Jr.

